U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command

ABOUT THE COMMAND

USASMDC is built upon a lengthy history of achievement in space and missile defense. Since 1957, when the Army created the first program office for ballistic missile defense, the command has dedicated itself to missile defense research, development and deployment. In December 1962, the command made history with the first successful intercept of an ICBM reentry vehicle with the Nike-Zeus. History was repeated in the 1980s with a new non-nuclear technology. The kinetic energy concept of "hitting a bullet with a bullet" was first proven in June 1984 with the intercept of an ICBM warhead in the Homing Overlay Experiment. In 1987, the Flexible Lightweight Agile Guided Experiment confirmed the concept against shorter-range tactical missiles. Nearly a decade later, the command demonstrated the missile defense applications of directed energy systems. In February 1996, the Mid Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser destroyed a short-range rocket in flight.